Journal bearing



July 20,1937. y G, Q HIRSQHr -r K 2,087,858

` v JOURNALBEARING v Filed Nov. 13, 1935 2 Sheets-.Sheen 2 Cil PatentedJuly 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f JOURNAL BEARING GeorgeGordon Hirsch, Bulalo, N. Y.

f Application November 13, 1935, Serial No. 49,603

1 claim. (c1. 80s-579.1)` Y I'his invention relates to improvements `infriction type journal bearings, such as the axle journal bearings ofrailway vehicles, to wit, locomotives, locomotive tenders, freight andpassenger, cars, and particularly to a novel construction of journalbearing providing better lubrication, reduction of wear and tear on andliability of injury to the bearing, as well as the avoidance of hotbearings.

`The accumulation of compacted waste particles under the crown or mainbearing area of jour-` nal bearings of the conventional type, which areoften referred to as waste grabs, islargelyre- `sponsible for theunequal distribution of lubricant to the bearing, and contributes to alarge percentage of train failures on railroads due to what are known ashot journals.l Such journalbearings, as commonly constructed, are alsosubject to undue friction and heating due to the imperfect distributionof `oil longitudinally as well as laterally over the bearing surfaces.

One object of my invention is to provide a con- 1 struction of journalbearing whereby these objections are overcome, better lubricationsecured, and liability of undue heating of and injury to the bearingprevented.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for the collectionand reduction, of the waste grabs or particles and the collection andeven distribution of lubricant, longitudinallyas weil as laterally overthe crown bearingL area of the journal bearing, in either direction ofrotation of the axle journal. f'

Still another object of my invention is to provide a liner for thejournal bearingy embodying a novel construction and arrangement ofy oiland Waste grab collecting and distributing grooves whereby maximumeiiiciency of lubrication is obtained Without impairing the strength ofthe liner. A

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel constructionand arrangement of ax ially extending main lubricant and Wastecollecting grooves and rows of side lubricant feed grooves actingalternately as input and output grooves for the feed of lubricant to andfrom the main grooves and serving additionally to effect a longitudinalfeed of the oil over the bearing surface of the liner.

Still another object of the invention is to proY vide means forreinforcing the liner at the points where the main distributing groovesare formedA and interlocking the liner with the bearing brass so as toprevent lateral displacement of the l liner.

Vof Fig. 2, through the bearing vbrassand liner,

and showing the same'in-operative relation to the axle journal.`

Fig. 2v is a'frplan view of thev liner. n

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the liner.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modication.

In the practical `embodiment of my invention asherein shown, Ivdesignates the bearing brass of a car journal bearing which may be ,ofstand` ard conventional type'and interchangeablewith like bearingsfor-application to a standard railway journal box. The lower or bearingside or face 2 of this brass is of concaved form and extends, as'usual,on the arc of a circle and is tted with a liner 3 'of babbitt metal orsimilar soft metal. the lower or bearing face of which liner contactswith the upper surface ci the axle jour' nal 4. The general arrangementof these parts, and the extent ofbearing of the liner on the journal,may accord Ywith the customary pracf-V tice, in rwhich the majorportionofthe load is carried'by the mainor crown bearing area or portion of theliner between the pointsindicated by the radial lines--a: passing fromthe center of the journal through the liner at the lateral extremes ofthe crown bearing area disposed equidistantly onopposite' sides of theVertical center line y-y of the bearing. This portion oi the bearingliner not only sustains the major portion of the load and wear but issubjected in operation to shocks and the greatest rise in teniperature,and it is therefore highly important that this area be adequatelyanduniformly lubricated at all times.

Lubrication of this crown bearing area is generally very faulty inybearings of ordinary construction, for the reason that no eiiectivemeans is ordinarily provided for the supply of lubricant to'and itsuniform distribution over the main or crown bearing surface. The amountof lubrication 'ordinarily effected is `frequently reduced by particlesfrom the lubricating waste in the journal box, commonly known as wastegrabs, y being taken up and compacted between the bearing surfaces, thusinterfering with the free ow of the lubricant. Difficulty is alsoencountered in lubricating the bearing surfaces at slow speeds and whenthe parts are stationary for a time, after a period of running, the oilbeing squeezed out from between the bearing surfaces so that directmetal contact is allowed, and the supply of lubricant is also reducedduring periods of reversal of rotation of the bearing, since a certainperiod of time must lapse before sufficient reverse ow of lubricant issecured in order to properly lubricate the bearings. These diiiicultiesin lubrication frequently cause hot boxes or undesirable heating of thebearing, with liability oi breakage of the lining or other injurythereto, and it is the primary object of my invention to provide meansof a simple character `for overcoming these objections and difficulties.

In accordance with my invention the bearing face of the liner 3 isprovided with a pair of axially extending oil and waste grab collectingand oil distributing grooves 5, which extend substantially the fulldistance from end to end of the liner. 'I'hese grooves are arrangedadjacent to or along the lateral margins of the crown bearing surface ofthe liner, equidistantly on opposite sides of the vertical center liney-y of the bearing, such crown bearing surface between said groovesbeing smooth and unobstructed so as to allow free and unimpeded fiow oflubricant and so as to leave the crown bearing surface free of groovesor other indentations impairing its thickness and strength. 'I'hefunction of these .grooves 5 is to collect oil and the waste grabs andto retain the grabs within the grooves with a store of oil, which isdistributed therefrom, thus forming wick lubricators holding sufficientoil for lubrication of the bearing surface even at times when otherwisethe bearing surface would become d ry. 'Ihe wick grabs held in thesegrooves will be prevented from becoming compacted and causing frictionand retained in a soft state so that they will effectually hold oil,whereby in the rotation of the axle journal in either directionuniform-lubrication of the crown bearing surface will be secured even atlow speeds or during periods when the feed of oil from the waste is notsufcient owing to change in the direction of rotation of the axlejournal.

In order to still further increase the efficiency of the bearing Iprovide the bearing face of the liner with rows of transverse oil feedgrooves 6 separated by intervening ribs 1, a row of such grooves beingprovided along each longitudinal edge of the hner and between the sameand the adjacent axially extending groove 5. The outer end of thesegrooves 6 do not project through the marginal longitudinal edges of theliner, which lie in contact with the surface of the journal, but beginat a point adjacent thereto and from this point each groove 6 extendstoward and connects at its opposite end with the adjacent axiallyextending groove 5, the groove 6 gradually increasing in depth towardthe groove 5 so as to provide for the feed of oil and waste particlesthereto in a free manner and without interference. The grooves 6 arepreferably, as shown, arranged obliquely, or at a suitable angle to thegrooves 5 and longitudinal axis of the liner so as to cause the oil toflow both longitudinally and transversely of the bearing, whereby aneven and regular flow of the oil to the grooves 5 is ensured andlongitudinal and lateral distribution of the lubricant over the bearingsurfaces also ensured. These rows or sets of grooves 6 serve alternatelyas input and output irrooves at opposite sides of the liner in theopposite directions of rotation of the axle journal, as will be readilyunderstood. In the operation of the bearing as thus far described itwill be evident that in either direction of rotation of the axlejournal, the oil and particles of waste passing upwardly in suchdirection of rotation of the journal will be guided by the groove 6 atone Side of the liner and conducted to the adjacent axially extendingdistribution groove 5, from which the lubricant will be distributed overthe crown bearing surface, thence caused to pass into the other axiallyextending collecting and distributing groove 5, and then discharged atthe opposite side of the liner through the other set of grooves G, wastecontained in the grooves being maintained in a soft state and preventedfrom packing and serving to hold a sufficient amount of oil to keep thebearing surfaces lubricated at all times. This construction andarrangement of the grooves ensures a most efcient type of lubricant toprevent the bearing from becoming dry or overheated without thenecessity of providing grooves in the crown portion proper of the liningand unduly impairing the strength and amount of bearing material in thecrown bearing area.

In order to enable the grooves 5 to be made of eifective depth the outeror near face of the lining is provided with reinforcing ribs 8, disposedin alinement with the grooves 5 and serving to maintain the initialstrength of these grooved portions of the liner, which would otherwisebe weakened by the formation of the grooves. These ribs 8 fit withinreceiving grooves 9 formed in the surface 2 of the bearing brass I,whereby they form an interlocking connection between the liner and thebearing brass to prevent liability of lateral displacement of the linerand injury thereto, such as might otherwise be caused when the linerbecomes worn and is subjected to side pressures, as during changes inthe direction of rotation of the axle journal.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Fig. 4 the construction ofthe bearing brass and liner is the same as that disclosed in Figs. 1-3,except that the ribs 8 on the liner and receiving grooves 9 in thebearing brass are dispensed with, which construction, while not sodesirable, may be employed under some conditions.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings,the construction and mode of operation of my improved journal bearingwill be readily understood by those versed in the art without a furtherand extended description, and it will be seen that the inventionprovides a bearing having a liner of maximum strength and durabilitywhile embodying means for catching and retaining the waste grabs andproviding for uniform and efficient lubrication and preventingoverheating of the lining in an extremely simple manner. While thestructural features disclosed are preferred it will, of course, beunderstood that changes in the form, proportion and arrangement of partsfalling Within the scope of the appended claims may be made, withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of theinvention.

What I claim is:-

A liner vfor bearing brasses of journal bearings and the like providedwith anrinner bearing face having a crown portion continuously smoothor,

unbroken longitudinally of said face and transversely between thelateral margins of the crown portion, longitudinal oil distributing andwaste grab collecting grooves extending along the latdinal rows ofregularly spacedand parallel alter-v nately arranged ribs and `oilconducting grooves vdisposed between the Vrespective longitudinalgrooves and the marginal sideu edges of the linen.

creasing in depth toward and being of maximum the ribs and grooves ofeach row extending. from adjacent the marginal side edge of the liner tothe longitudinal groove,l between which they lie at an oblique anglein adirectionr toward the groove and one endofrthe liner to carry streams ofOil' upwardly at the side of the liner to the top of the linerandlongitudinally in a direction toward an end of the liner, `each groovehavingrlts `outerend terminating short of the adjacent side margin ofAthelnerand thence gradually indepth'at its innervend intersecting thelongitu dinal groove toward which it leads.

` GEORGE GORDON HIRSOH. 1o

